Got tickets on troubled Alitalia? Some tips

This post is a total waste of my time as the headline is misleading. It gives absolutely no advice to those of us already booked on Alitalia. Thanks for nothing.

what if you have tix already for Al Italia?!?!?!?

OK, as Scott McCartney points out, if you booked your flight through one of Alitalia's partners, they will be responsible for rebooking you if the carrier goes under.
If you booked through Alitalia and already have tickets and you're really concerned, you can try to get a refund and rebook -- of course much depends on the fare rules of your ticket.
If you've got the cash and you really need to get to Italy you might consider buying a fully refundable ticket on another airline as a back-up. This could be a fairly good option if your departure date is not near, so you wouldn't get stuck having to pay a really high price for a last-minute fare.
If you buy the back-up ticket and Alitalia doesn't go under, you can cash in the back-up. If the carrier is broken up, you've still got the back-up and a good shot at getting a refund for the Alitalia ticket by filing an appeal with your credit card company (if you paid for the ticket with cash or check, you're out of luck).

I think the last comment is the one readers are looking for. Those of us who have already purchased our tickets need to know if there is a refund available from our credit card company should the Alitalia go under. ALSO, what about a refund for the UNSUSED (return) portion of our ticket? Will the credit card company also cover this as well?

My case is just the opposite: i have a ticket for a KLM flight, booked through Alitalia, with Alitalia flight number.... If Alitalia goes down, can I still fly on that KLM flight? Or that one is lost as well because of booking through Alitalia?

I am worried I bought a roundtrip ticket through Expedia with my credit card roundtrip to Florence from Miami, the flight going over is with Air France but coming back is a Delta flight operated by ALitalia, this is in November so I still have time to plan. If Alitalia goes under who should I go through to get my return ticket which is a Dleta code share flight operated by Alitalia from ROme to Miami rebooked on a nother carrirer, Expedia, Delta, or Air france? If anyone can help it will be gratly appreciated. my e-mail is ericmoorefl@bellsouth.net, thanks Eric

As a rule, the carrier that booked your flight -- the one that got your money -- is responsible. Responsibility is linked to the money.
But that's also why you stand to lose your money if you booked flights through Alitalia if it goes under. That's because its assets (which includes your cash) will be locked up and a bankruptcy judge will decide which creditor gets what. And the creditor will not be you.
If, however, you booked through an Alitalia partner, the airline you paid is responsible for getting you to where you want to go. I should point out that they could also offer to refund but in my experience carriers will try to rebook if at all possible.

Go to Global Travel Shield and buy an insurance for your Alitalia Ticket - just in case. Approx $14 per Plane ticket can potentially offer full coverage. Must purchase insurance before flight begins and before we hear that Alitalia is officially bankrupt. Good luck.

I have Alitalia tickets on a VISA credit card. Visa told me that if I have proof that they are out of business, the disputes department will see what they can do. What type of proof are they looking for? Will I get an email from Alitalia saying game is over you lose?

@ Elizabeth Costa

Alitalia already filed for bankruptcy protection on Aug. 29th, so there's no way any insurance company is going to pay out if you buy insurance now.

Credit card purchase protection is your best bet if they do cease operation. From Moneybluebook.com:

To dispute a credit charge, contact your credit card issuer, whether it be Citibank, Chase, or American Express, and request a charge back pursuant to the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under the Act, open-end credit accounts such as credit cards are governed by a strict set of federally mandated dispute settlement procedures. Disputes regarding fraudulent credit card charges, unexplained transactions, and charges for goods and services you didn’t accept or weren’t delivered as agreed are all covered. Here are the steps you will need to take to guarantee your credit card purchase rights:

1. Write to the credit card issuer at the address given for billing inquiries or bill disputes (not the address for sending payment), and be sure to state your name, card account number, and address.
2. State that your airline or travel agency has declared bankruptcy and has ceased operations, that you will not receive the services that you charged to your account, and that you are requesting a billing error credit along with a charge back while the credit company is investigating the matter.
3. Enclose a photocopy of the ticket, itinerary or receipt if possible, and indicate the price of the transportation and the date it was purchased. Remember to keep the original copies. If the transportation was partially used, identify the used and unused segments.
4. You must send the dispute letter by U.S. postal service, preferably by certified mail, with a tracking number and return receipt requested.
5. You must also submit your billing dispute letter so that it reaches your credit card company within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you.

What happens if I already have 2 first class tickets (in April) using frequent flier miles. Is there any way for me to avoid losing the FF miles?